


Not how this goes

by TheChief, YourForever



Category: Marvel
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - No Powers, F/M, Hank/Janet is way side, I dunno.., just happened
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-09-02
Updated: 2014-09-02
Packaged: 2018-02-15 20:42:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,491
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2242866
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheChief/pseuds/TheChief, https://archiveofourown.org/users/YourForever/pseuds/YourForever
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Her hair is always a different mix of colors and her smiles are almost always too sharp, a baring of teeth more than anything. I don't know if her taste in music can make up for the fact that she's too dangerous for me to feel comfortable with her dating my best friend.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Not how this goes

Tony slugged back the dregs of coffee from his cup, tossing it into the trash, on top of many others. Bruce, across the lab, glanced at his own growing pile, but made no move to leave from his station.

"Time?"

"20 minutes past midnight, Sir." The voice spoke over the speaker and Tony shot a smug grin over his shoulder. Bruce raised his hands in surrender, palms out.

"Okay, okay. You win. I didn’t think you’d manage to actually find a British guy to do the recording." Bruce’s grin was crooked before he turned back to the research project in front of him, fingers tapping a steady rhythm on the keys of his computer.

"I think that’s the third time you’ve underestimated me in the past two days." Tony pulled up the schematics to a car engine on his screen. An old Ford, late 70’s. He was sure how long he’d been up, but he was almost too tired to notice more than that.

As he tried to drag up more details, the elevator sounded, letting them know someone was coming in. He waved a hand at the webcam his newest creation operated out of, signaling for him to clear the screen.

Heels clicked against the linoleum floor as someone stepped into the room. “I’m not even surprised.”

"Now now, Janet. You could at least pretend you’re happy to see me." Tony spoke up, ignoring Bruce’s snort of amusement from the back corner of the lab. Janet Van Dyne was the girlfriend of the geneticist wannabe in the lab below them. Hank Pym. 

As far as Tony was concerned, she also wanted him.

He’d deal with the possibility of being wrong later. Because he wasn’t. She just had to admit it to herself.

“Of course, Tone. Caught me on the spot. Now leave. I’m hereby kicking your asses out of the labs before I shove a five inch heel up your backside.” She came around his lab table, shooing him off toward the doors.

“Ha.” Bruce’s taunt echoed out and Tony pointed over his shoulder.

“He’s been here twice as long as me, Jan!”

“Yeah, and in a minute I’m gonna send Raven back here after his ass.” Janet retorted, continuing with bustling Tony toward the door. Pepper had called her in to help get the guy out of the lab for a bit since she was across the city and he’d missed their lunch date.

“You wouldn’t.” Bruce’s voice was all suspicion and doubt.

“Try me, Banner.”

The scientist cursed and hurried after them.

~

Now, not to say Banner and his girlfriend were an odd pair. Well, they were, but they made it work pretty damn well.

Raven Darkholme, Mystique when she was at work behind the bar on campus, was.. unique.

Her hair color was almost always a different color or, more often than not, multiple different colors. Her clothes were strange and dark, leaning toward band tees and shirts littered with nerd references that very few people actually  _got._

She also had this strange habit of kicking Tony’s ass at video games.

The first time they’d met had been in the middle of Tony’s freshman year. Bruce had been his roommate and Tony had wanted the information about why he was always out so late, yet he never came home with one damned hickey.

~

“You’ll like her.”

“How do you know?”

“Because I do. Besides, you have the same shirt.” Bruce smirked, gesturing to the Black Sabbath tee he was wearing.

“Really?” That got Tony’s attention, though it flagged shortly after because there were certain people who listened to Black Sabbath who you did not want to meet and what if innocent Bruce was dating one of them without realizing it?

He’d have to protect his friend, of course.

When they came up to the downtown café where they’d agreed to meet, Tony had automatically looked for piercings, tattoos.

Bruce had taken the lead and headed straight for a table in the back, grinning at a redhead who was lounging in a booth, a glass of soda half empty on the table.

“Raven, this is Tony.”

Raven offered a tight lipped smile, eyes roving over Tony, though not in the way he normally would’ve appreciated.

She crossed her arms over her chest, gauging him as easily as if he’d had words scrawled across his head so Tony attempted to return the favor.

An old Bioshock tee shirt was loose on her shoulders, showing a lot of wear and tear. She paired it was some sort of denim shorts, black almost. Tights covered her legs, giving them the sophisticated silvery black tint, as well as some zig zag pattern.

She wore fucking motorcycle boots though. That paired with the leather jacket thrown haphazardly across the back of the chair had Tony curious about whether or not she owned a motorcycle. Because that would definitely give her a few more points.

After a few more minutes of this, Raven turned to Bruce, offered one, short sweet smile and nodded her head. She was still guarded, but that was the closest thing to honest emotion Tony had seen.

“I think I can make this work.”

~

And she had. Of course, she’d made no secret that it was for Bruce’s sake.

~

"I don’t think I like you." She was blunt, voice rough with sleep and distrust.

"That’s fine." Tony shrugged. He’d woken up to find her sprawled across their couch, Bruce curled up beside her. Bruce had taken half a minute to realize they were out of coffee in the dorm before rushing out to get some more, leaving the two alone.

  
Bad idea apparently.”Don’t you want to know why?” She was crouched on the back of the couch like some sort of fucking animal, her boots and jacket - something Tony hadn’t seen her without - both thrown on  _his_ chair.

He wouldn’t even let the tattered ACDC shirt make up for it.

"Plenty of people don’t like me, princess. Doesn’t make you special." Tony had a start up relationship already and it was helping to keep him calm in the face of dislike. He didn’t  _need_  her approval for shit. She was the one in his dorm.

Her response is cut off by Bruce slamming into the room, face red, hands clenched.

Tony has seen this before. His roommate has always had anger issues. He’ll snap and lash out in public, but he’ll pull back, retreating within himself later, regretting everything.

He’s had a total of three incidents where other people have actually gotten hurt. All three times were complete and total accidents.

Tony’s first thought is that Raven hasn’t seen this part of Bruce and he steps forward to shield his best friend when the rainbow haired - it’s blue, green, and silver this week - pushes past him to wrap her arms around Bruce’s shoulders, leading him to the couch.

Tony felt his own burst of anger well up. This chick thought she could come in and completely push him out?

He paced closer, eyes narrowed on where they were at. Bruce had stretched himself across the couch, Raven supporting his shoulders and head on her lap, where she’d curled around him.

Before he can get too close, Bruce spoke up, muttering about how he was becoming a monster again, and how he hadn’t meant to hurt them. Tony was about to chime in with his usual when he was cut off by the harsh growl of Raven’s voice.

"You’re  _not_  a monster. I’ve told you that before. Don’t make me say it again.”

Tony gaped. Bruce needed comfort. Not this thinly veiled frustration.

"You can’t prove that." Bruce’s response was rough, almost as though he’d just finished screaming at the top of his lungs. "I hurt people."

"Not one of the injuries you’ve caused has been on purpose. They’re accidents. You haven’t spilled blood for fun. The stains on your hands are purely imagined."

Tony couldn’t quite believe what he was hearing. “How do you get off saying-” He stepped forward, though his rant was cut off early as Raven looked up and  _bared her teeth_  at him.

"I get off because while you were in prep school somewhere, I was in a gang, on the streets of New York. I spilled blood, yes. I did it for fun. Me and my boys. We terrorized the place. I know what having that blood staining your hands feels like. I’m the monster here, not Bruce. He doesn’t know what it’s like. He sure as hell doesn’t need you coddling him telling him everything will get better. He’s fine this way, he just needs to accept it."

Her voice was more threatening than before and Tony turned his gaze from her to his best friend who didn’t move. Seriously? He was just gonna be okay with that?

Bruce didn’t response, simply burrowing closer to Raven, blocking Tony out for the time being.

 


End file.
